I'm thinking of Behr Japanese Maple for the front door (rusty red) and white for the shutters. Do I match the siding colour on the Hardiboard? or paint it one of the accent colours? Suggestions please!

I do know that the property divider is river rock, and we planned on extending that down across the front, surrounding the utility boxes (we can weed control better that way.

I plan on planting bright red and yellow lantana in the bed along the sidewalk.

As you can see, we have some new growth springing up now our rainy season is here, so I need to get on the ball and get the weed control down. We do have a sprinkler system, but the wind made it worthless; most water ended up in the street. The soil is fairly heavy, some clay, lots of cement chunks (they used to make cement here and the builder failed to use clean fill.)

I'm thinking native grasses and/ or succulents surrounded by shredded bark for weed control would be best. There's time to establish before the frost (that will be in January) and they wouldn't require too much water later. (The sidewalk was also lined with echeveria, which are still piled on the side waiting for me to figure out where to put them.) I'd also like some shrubbery along the porch, as we have a few stray cats who seek shelter there and a wind break would be welcome. The house is currently a mix of grey, off-white and a faded Colonial blue, but we hope to have it painted sometime next year in earthier tones.

Any input/ design suggestions would be welcome. We are in USDA gardening zone 9B, if that helps. Thanks in advance!